New Diagnosis Codes Specific to Desmoid Tumors
The DTRF has worked for almost two years toward the implementation of new ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes specific to desmoid tumors, culminating in success this year. The DTRF formally requested the creation of new codes in March 2022 and successfully shepherded the request through each step of the process to approval by the CDC. New ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for desmoid tumors went into effect in the United States on October 1, 2023. ICD-10-CM codes are the administrative language of healthcare in the US, used by all physicians, hospitals, and health insurers to communicate with each other about billing, coverage, and payment. They are also used by researchers when accessing national medical databases. Historically, desmoid tumors have been lumped into a vague diagnosis code with many other types of soft tissue "neoplasms of uncertain behavior." However, these newly-approved codes are specific to desmoid tumors and their location in the body. By identifying desmoid tumors distinctly and by location, the new codes should help improve communication, reduce paperwork for physicians, and improve claims processing efficiency for insurers, all of which should result in reduced hassles for patients. The new codes will also greatly improve the ability of healthcare researchers to analyze "real world" data on desmoid tumors toward a better understanding of its course and effectiveness of treatments.
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